Minister Oprea: More than 21,000 jobs created last year under Start-Up Nation program

The Start-Up Nation program created last year more than 21,000 jobs, with 16,000 unemployed, fresh graduates or disadvantaged persons thus finding employment, Minister for the Business Milieu, Commerce and Entrepreneurship Stefan-Radu Oprea told a specialist conference on Friday. 

"The major mission of the Ministry for SMEs and the Business Milieu is to develop public policies aimed also at the growth of the digital capacity of small and medium-sized businesses. And this is where the Start-Up Nation program comes in, spearheading the programs under the ministry's management, as it addresses a yearly 10,000 SMEs with the intention to rekindle the spirit of entrepreneurship in Romania. There have been 19,297 applications of which 10,000 were verified, with contracts signed for 8,444 thereof. We operate as planned. Over 2,200 payment applications have been filed and disbursements have been made for 2,000. The Start-Up Nation success story is a reality. Those who dared and believed in this program have seen their business come to reality. Start-Up Nation fulfills its goals: more than 21,000 jobs created in Romania through the program's 2017 leg, with 16,000 having been filled by jobless, fresh graduates or disadvantaged persons. Start-Up Nation also gives the economy a boost in the targeted directions of development: production, creative industry and IT," said Oprea. 

Under the Start-Up Nation program launched in 2017, a freshly set up company receives up to 200,000 lei in funding, which can cover as much as 100 percent of the project's value. Some 8,600 business plans were selected in the 2017 session. 

The European Committee of the Regions and the Association of Romanian Municipalities organized on Friday in Bucharest the conference 'Increasing SME Competitiveness Through Digitisation - Challenges to Regional and Local Authorities'.